This invention relates to power converter arrangements for marine vessels.
As marine propulsion and power distribution systems advance from conventional mechanical drive and generator systems to electric drive and power converter systems, the electrical generating requirements of the ship increase greatly. Increases in the size and weight of the equipment normally associated with additional electrical generating capacity, however, are not acceptable in certain shipboard installations. Advances in the field of power electronics have enabled ship builders to utilize power generation and conversion equipment having greater power density permitting a reduction in the size and weight of components while improving their overall performance efficiency, flexibility and reliability. Furthermore, power supply arrangements which are based on modular and scalable power converters are desirable. Conventional power converters can be electrically connected in multiple parallel and series configurations to meet individual system power, voltage and current demands.
Heretofore, various power and other components have been supplied in modular form for mounting in a ship. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,398,484 discloses an arrangement for installing a nuclear reactor block in a vessel and a hoisting arrangement for accomplishing such installation and U.S. Pat. No. 4,678,439 pertains to the installation of a modular engine and transmission for propulsion purposes in a ship. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 4,747,360 discloses the installation of a support system for a marine turbine power plant with an integral condenser and U.S. Pat. No. 5,022,628 discloses the installation into a ship of a flexible raft on which machinery is mounted and a method of supporting the raft using controlled electromagnets to reduce transmission of vibration to the ship's hull. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,199,912 an electric power system for large marine vehicles and an arrangement for distributing AC and DC power to various loads are described. U.S. Pat. No. 5,259,332 describes an arrangement in which engine room equipment is distributed according to function and each group of equipment components is mounted in a frame or module and the modules are then arranged in a predetermined pattern within the engine room. Pre-tested, pre-aligned propulsion and ship service power modules are removably installed into a high speed ship such as a destroyer according to U.S. Pat. No. 5,417,597. Each of these power modules consists of a gas turbine, a ship service alternator, and a propulsion alternator. However, none of the prior art discloses or suggests integration of power conversion modules into a ship structure.